By Alicia Lawrence ('11)
My internship journey this summer has brought me from one Athens to another Athens. After wrapping up MBA life in Athens, Ohio I had a week to regroup and make the move south to Athens, Georgia. I am spending the summer as The Georgia Bulldog Club intern at the University of Georgia.
My first day as a Bulldog couldn’t have been more fitting. I had the opportunity to play in a donor golf outing at The Harbor Club on Lake Oconee. Alan Thomas (’93), Associate A.D. for External Affairs, told me to have the rust worked off my golf swing in case there was a no-show for the outing. It was a good thing I headed to the driving range the weekend before, because I was told to throw my sticks on the back of a cart just before the outing began. It was a scorching hot day- one that adequately introduced me to southern humidity. Nonetheless, the outing was a great opportunity to meet new people and a perfect kick-off to my internship experience.
Tuesday was the first day in the office, and I started working on my primary projects for the summer. The first is an analysis of current Bulldog Road Tour practices and the second is an analysis of current G-Club practices. The Bulldog Road Tour is UGA’s coaches speaking tour, and the G-Club is the organization for former letterwinners. My research and analysis will hopefully lead to feasible recommendations and action plans that will help each of these programs be even more successful in the future at UGA.
I have traveled most weekends so far. I was fortunate enough to join some of the class of 2011 in Nashville for the 4th of July weekend, and also made a weekend trip back to Athens in late June. Today marks the end of Week 5 for me here at the University of Georgia. It’s hard to believe that my internship is half over. It won’t be long until I am making the trip to Athens North to start the MSA year. I am so excited to return to Bobcat territory and catch up with classmates. But for now, I plan on taking in all that Athens, GA has to offer with my roommates for the summer Jason Hill (’10), his wife Emily, and their two dogs Molly and Dewey. Jason recently kicked off a one-year internship in Marketing for the UGA Athletic Association.
My experience here so far has been great. As I sit at my desk, reflecting over the past five weeks, a statement someone made in passing the other day keeps resurfacing… “Teachable Moments.” My time thus far has been an incredible learning experience. The people in the office of The Georgia Bulldog Club have welcomed me and made me feel right at home. I am so thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to see what the rest of my time in Athens South has in store.
